In many circumstances plants require protection from the depredations of herbivores. This is particularly true of immature plants that may require a period of protection to establish themselves.
The forestry industry engages in extensive reforestation efforts to ensure a sustainable harvest of trees. Significant efforts are therefore devoted to the aspects of forestry that involve the development, cultivation and reproduction of forest trees (a branch of forestry science known as silviculture).
Reforestation of coniferous and deciduous forests involves the planting of hundreds of thousands of tree seedlings every year. Silviculturists recognize a need to protect such seedlings from deer and other herbivores for a period of time to optimize success of their reforestation efforts. Plant shelters known as tree protectors have been used for this purpose for some time. Given the scale of reforestation efforts, there is a need to minimize the unit costs of tree protectors.
In many cases, reforestation takes place in remote areas. Transporting seedlings and tree protectors to such areas can be expensive. Another significant component of the cost of reforestation efforts is the cost of labour. There is accordingly a need for tree protectors that are economical to transport, install and maintain.
In some cases, it may be advantageous to protect seedlings for more than a year. It may accordingly be preferred to have tree protectors that are hardy enough to withstand environmental assaults such as wind, rain, snow and sunlight over an extended period of time. Suitably durable tree protectors will have the benefit of minimizing the costs associated with maintaining a reforested area.
The health of replanted seedling depends on a number of factors, including the availability of light and appropriate ventilation. Seedlings can suffer from a variety of plant diseases, some of which may be encouraged by tree protectors that preclude adequate ventilation of the seedlings or confine the growing seedlings too tightly. There is therefore a need for tree protectors that provide for adequate ventilation, illumination and growth of seedlings.
At a certain point in the maturation of seedlings, protective shelters may no longer be necessary or desirable. It may therefore be advantageous to have tree protectors that deteriorate over an appropriate length of time, so that the protectors eventually fall apart and do not confine the growing trees. Tree protectors that self-destruct in this way may obviate the need for the labour intensive removal of the protectors once the seedlings are sufficiently mature.